Tips For Disney World First-Timers
by: Cara Goldsbury
So you’ve finally decided to head to Walt Disney World. With so
much to see and do, it’s important to come prepared. Here are some
excellent tips to make your trip one that will be remembered for a
lifetime.
- Plan ahead. Decide ahead of time what your priorities are and
make a plan of action.
- Get to the parks early! It’s amazing, particularly in busy
season, how many of the popular rides you can knock off before
half the “World” gets out of bed.
- Take the time to rest in the middle of the day. Stay at one of
the Magic Kingdom or Epcot resorts, allowing a return in the
middle of the day for a nap or dip in the pool.
- Call exactly 90 days prior at 7 AM Orlando time for priority
seating if breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic
Kingdom is tops on your child’s list. The only way you might
get away with sleeping in and booking a bit later for this
highly coveted character breakfast is if you are traveling in
extremely slow season.
- Come prepared for an afternoon shower during the rainy summer
months even if the sky looks perfectly clear in the morning.
Rent a locker to store your raingear and circle back if skies
start to look threatening. However, if you’re caught
unprepared, just about every store in the parks sells
inexpensive rain ponchos.
- Use Fastpass, Disney’s free, nifty timesaving device. It’s
offered at all four theme parks and is a great way to save hours
of waiting in line. Just insert your park pass in one of the
machines located at each individual Fastpass attraction and
receive a ticket printed with a designated one-hour window in
which you may return and enter a special line with little or no
waiting.
- Pre-arrange priority seating, Disney’s answer to dining
reservations, by calling 407-WDW-DINE. On arrival you’ll
receive the next table available for your party size, thus
saving hours of frustration and waiting.
- Allow plenty of time to reach the theme parks each morning.
It’s easy to miss your breakfast priority seating is you
don’t allocate enough time.
- Be spontaneous. If something catches your eye, even if it’s
not on your daily list of things to do, stop and explore. If
not, you could miss something wonderful.
- Realize the limitations of your children. If they’re tired,
take a break. If their feet hurt, get them a stroller (forget
that they outgrew one years ago). If a ride scares them don’t
force the issue. Such precautions will make your day and the day
of other park visitors a lot less stressful.
- Bring pagers, 2-way radios, or cell phones. If your party
plans on splitting up, they are a perfect way to keep in touch.
- Wear broken-in, comfortable footwear. Better yet, bring two
pairs and rotate them. Nothing is worse than blisters on your
first day and then nursing them for the remainder of your
vacation.
- Most importantly, slow down and enjoy the magic. Resist the
urge to see everything at breakneck speed. You can’t possibly
cover it all, so think of this as your first trip to Disney, not
your last. There will be time to pick up all the things you
missed on the next go-round.
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